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What it's really like inside a Hare Krishna camp

Feb 24, 2019

There's more to this Northern NSW farm than meets the eye. Here's what really goes on at a Hare Krishna retreat, tells Amy Fallon.

“I might move here,” a woman I’ve just met in the communal bathroom says to me. “I’m sick of the real world. I’ve been doing it for 40 years. It’s not going anywhere.”

Gazing out at the “unreal” world, if you like, the lush green hills in a tiny part of Northern NSW that belong to New Govardhana, a thriving Hare Krishna community boasting scrumptious vegetarian food and yoga and meditation classes, it’s easy to think about staying forever.

About 120 Hare Krishna devotees have made the 400-hectare farm at Eungella, close to the town of Murwillumbah, with its own school educating about 150 children, a devotional temple, yoga and wellness centre, home. Hoping, however, to inspire people of any (or no) faith to lead a more sustainable life, New Govardhana today hosts visitors from all around the world, who stay in cabins or camp on the property.

On any given day, you can meet guests from all across Australia plus Venezuela, Germany, Spain, Israel, India and the UK, to name a few, many who aren’t Hare Krishna, but have heard about the farm via word of mouth. Some come to do yoga for a weekend or complete a yoga teacher training course.

Australians, including families, sleep in their vans on the property of a night, exploring the community by day. Some, mostly international visitors, end up volunteering for months in the kitchen or gardens to take advantage of yoga classes and an opportunity to explore the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), a movement over half a century old.

The community focuses on Bhakti yoga, but other types of classes like Hatha and Vinyasa are offered, along with Japa mantra meditation and life coaching sessions among other activities. While guests can attend the daily “aarti” ceremonies, the first held at 4.30am during which flames, waters and flowers are offered to the sacred deities at the temple, and other rituals that also include prayers and chanting, this isn’t compulsory.

“It’s amazing how you don’t even have to bring Krishna or God into the conversation; there are so many other ways we can help people raise their consciousness,” says monk Krishna Gana. He moved from north Queensland to New Govardhana and now lives in an ashram on the property with a group of boys and men. “This place offers something that you won’t find in many other communities,” he explains. “It’s based on spiritual principles and because of that the people who are living here, their lifestyle and mindset, is set in a different way.”

If you’re contemplating Krishna consciousness, the food alone might sway you. “We have a big cooking culture,” says Rahda Ickrath, 51, a devotee who works on New Govardhana. The daily vegetarian “prasadam” (meaning mercy in Sanskrit) communal meals – which feature dishes like kitchari, a dahl and rice stew with vegetables, and desserts like halva, a semolina pudding – included in accommodation packages are delectable.

The weekly Sunday evening temple feast often attracts hundreds. “Jeeva” (life) juice, made from the farm’s organic fruit and vegetables, is available to buy. Weekend Ayuverdic cooking courses are held regularly.

New Govardhana’s cows also take pride of place on the property. According to the society’s founder, His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, our happiness is inextricably linked to that of cows. Visitors can meet (and milk) the cows during a stay. On hot days, some cool off at Massage Rocks, a freshwater swimming hole a stone’s throw away from the farm.

With Mount Warning, World Heritage-listed and the first place in mainland Australia to see the sun, as a backdrop and Byron Bay and the Gold Coast also nearby, many New Govardhana guests take the time to see the area’s other attractions.

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